Electromagnetic pulse as a weapon. Electromagnetic pulse: simple about complex things

WHAT IS AN ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE?

1. Well, why complicate everything so much?
   It is called electromagnetic because the electrical component is inextricably linked with the magnetic component. It's like a radio wave. Only in the latter case is it a sequence of electromagnetic pulses in the form of harmonic oscillations.
   And here - just one impulse.
   To obtain it, you need to create a charge, positive or negative, at a point in space. Since the world of fields is dual, it is necessary to create 2 opposite charges in different places.
   It is hardly possible to do this within zero time.
   However, you can, for example, connect a capacitor to an antenna. But in this case, the resonant nature of the antenna will work. And again, we will get not a single impulse, but oscillations.
   In a bomb, most likely, there is also not a single electromagnetic pulse, but a pulse of electromagnetic oscillation.
2. The electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear explosion is a powerful short-term electromagnetic field with wavelengths from 1 to 1000 m or more, arising at the moment of the explosion, which induces strong electrical voltages and currents in conductors of various lengths in the air, ground, equipment and other objects (metal supports, antennas, communication and power lines, pipelines, etc.).
   In ground and low air explosions, the damaging effects of the electromagnetic pulse are observed at a distance of several kilometers from the center of the explosion. During a high-altitude nuclear explosion, electromagnetic fields can arise in the explosion zone and at altitudes of 20 - 40 km from the earth's surface.
   An electromagnetic pulse is characterized by field strength. The strength of the electric and magnetic fields depends on the power, height of the explosion, distance from the center of the explosion and the properties of the environment.
   The damaging effect of an electromagnetic pulse manifests itself, first of all, in relation to radio-electronic and electrical equipment located in weapons, military equipment and other objects.
   Under the influence of an electromagnetic pulse, electric currents and voltages are induced in the specified equipment, which can cause insulation breakdown, damage to transformers, damage to semiconductor devices, burnout of fuse links and other elements of radio engineering devices.
   Protection against electromagnetic pulses is achieved by shielding power lines and equipment. All external lines must be two-wire, well insulated from ground, with fusible inserts.
   The beginning of the era of information wars was marked by the emergence of new types of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and radio frequency weapons. According to the principle of their destructive effect, EMP weapons have much in common with the electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear explosion and differ from it, among other things, in their shorter duration. Non-nuclear means of generating powerful EMR, developed and tested in a number of countries, are capable of creating short-term (several nanoseconds) fluxes of electromagnetic radiation, the density of which reaches limit values ​​relative to the electrical strength of the atmosphere. Moreover, the shorter the EMI, the higher the threshold of permissible generator power.
   According to analysts, along with traditional means of electronic warfare, the use of EMP and radio frequency weapons for delivering electronic and combined electronic-fire strikes in order to disable radio-electronic equipment (RES) at distances from hundreds of meters to tens of kilometers can become one of the main forms of combat actions in the near future. In addition to a temporary disruption of the functioning of electronic devices, which allows for the subsequent restoration of their functionality, EMP weapons can cause physical destruction (functional damage) of semiconductor elements of electronic devices, including those in the off state.
   Note the damaging effect of powerful radiation from EMP weapons on electrical and electrical power systems of weapons and military equipment (WME), electronic ignition systems of internal combustion engines. Currents excited by the electromagnetic field in the circuits of electric or radio fuses installed on ammunition can reach levels sufficient to trigger them. High energy flows are capable of initiating the detonation of explosives (HE) warheads of missiles, bombs and artillery shells, as well as non-contact detonation of mines within a radius of 5060 m from the point of detonation of medium-caliber EMP ammunition (100-120 mm).
   With regard to the damaging effect of EMP weapons on personnel, the effect is a temporary disruption of adequate sensorimotority of a person, the occurrence of erroneous actions in his behavior and even loss of ability to work. Negative manifestations of exposure to powerful ultrashort microwave pulses are not necessarily associated with thermal destruction of living cells of biological objects. The damaging factor is often the high intensity of the electric field induced on the cell membranes.
3. This is a burst of electric and magnetic fields. Since light is also an electromagnetic wave, then a flash of light is also an electromagnetic pulse.
4. A burst of electromagnetic waves - much higher than the natural electromagnetic background of the Earth
5. electric shock
6. One of the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion....
7. Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is the damaging factor of nuclear weapons, as well as any other sources of EMP (for example, lightning, special electromagnetic weapons or a nearby supernova explosion, etc.). The damaging effect of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is caused by the occurrence of induced voltages and currents in various conductors. The effect of EMR manifests itself primarily in relation to electrical and radio-electronic equipment. The most vulnerable are communication, signaling and control lines. This may result in insulation breakdown, damage to transformers, damage to semiconductor devices, damage to computers/laptops and cell phones, etc. A high-altitude explosion can create interference in these lines over very large areas. EMI protection is achieved by shielding power supply lines and equipment

An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a natural phenomenon caused by the sudden acceleration of particles (mainly electrons), which results in an intense burst of electromagnetic energy. Everyday examples of EMR include lightning, combustion engine ignition systems, and solar flares. Although electromagnetic pulse can destroy electronic devices, this technology can be used to purposefully and safely disable electronic devices or to ensure the security of personal and confidential data.

Steps

Creation of an elementary electromagnetic emitter

Gather the necessary materials. To create a simple electromagnetic emitter, you will need a disposable camera, copper wire, rubber gloves, solder, a soldering iron and an iron rod. All these items can be purchased at your local hardware store.

• The thicker the wire you take for the experiment, the more powerful the final emitter will be.
• If you cannot find an iron rod, you can replace it with a rod made of non-metallic material. However, please note that such a replacement will negatively affect the power of the pulse produced.
• When working with electrical parts that can hold a charge, or when passing electrical current through an object, we strongly recommend wearing rubber gloves to avoid possible electrical shock.

1. Assemble the electromagnetic coil. An electromagnetic coil is a device that consists of two separate, but at the same time interconnected parts: a conductor and a core. In this case, the core will be an iron rod, and the conductor will be copper wire.

   Solder the ends of the electromagnetic coil to the capacitor. The capacitor, as a rule, has the form of a cylinder with two contacts, and it can be found on any circuit board. In a disposable camera, such a capacitor is responsible for the flash. Before unsoldering the capacitor, be sure to remove the battery from the camera, otherwise you may receive an electric shock.

   Find a safe place to test your electromagnetic emitter. Depending on the materials involved, the effective range of your EMP will be approximately one meter in any direction. Be that as it may, any electronics caught by the EMP will be destroyed.

   • Don't forget that EMR affects any and all devices within the affected radius, from life support machines like pacemakers to cell phones. Any damage caused by this device via EMP may result in legal consequences.
   • A grounded area, such as a tree stump or plastic table, is an ideal surface for testing an electromagnetic emitter.

2. Find a suitable test object. Since electromagnetic fields only affect electronics, consider purchasing an inexpensive device from your local electronics store. The experiment can be considered successful if, after activation of the EMP, the electronic device stops working.

   • Many office supply stores sell fairly inexpensive electronic calculators with which you can check the effectiveness of the created emitter.

3. Insert the battery back into the camera. To restore the charge, you need to pass electricity through the capacitor, which will subsequently provide your electromagnetic coil with current and create an electromagnetic pulse. Place the test object as close to the EM emitter as possible.

   Let the capacitor charge. Allow the battery to charge the capacitor again by disconnecting it from the electromagnetic coil, then, using rubber gloves or plastic tongs, connect them again. If you work with bare hands, you risk getting an electric shock.

   Turn on the capacitor. Activating the flash on the camera will release the electricity stored in the capacitor, which, when passed through the coil, will create an electromagnetic pulse.

   Creation of a portable EM radiation device

   1. Gather everything you need. Building a portable EMR device will go more smoothly if you have all the necessary tools and components with you. You will need the following items:

      Remove the circuit board from the camera. Inside the disposable camera there is a circuit board, which is responsible for its functionality. First, remove the batteries, and then the board itself, not forgetting to mark the position of the capacitor.

      • By working with the camera and capacitor in rubber gloves, you will thereby protect yourself from possible electric shock.
      • Capacitors are typically shaped like a cylinder with two terminals attached to a board. This is one of the most important parts of the future EMR device.
      • After you remove the battery, click the camera a couple of times to use up the accumulated charge in the capacitor. Due to the accumulated charge, you can get an electric shock at any time.

   2. Wrap the copper wire around the iron core. Take enough copper wire so that evenly spaced turns can completely cover the iron core. Also make sure that the coils fit tightly together, otherwise it will negatively affect the EMP power.

      • Leave a small amount of wire at the edges of the winding. They are needed to connect the rest of the device to the coil.

   3. Apply insulation to the radio antenna. The radio antenna will serve as a handle on which the reel and camera board will be attached. Wrap electrical tape around the base of the antenna to protect against electric shock.

      Secure the board to a thick piece of cardboard. The cardboard will serve as another layer of insulation, which will protect you from unpleasant electrical discharge. Take the board and secure it to the cardboard with electrical tape, but so that it does not cover the paths of the electrically conductive circuit.

      • Secure the board face up so that the capacitor and its conductive traces do not come into contact with the cardboard.
      • The cardboard backing for the PCB should also have enough space for the battery compartment.

   4. Attach the electromagnetic coil to the end of the radio antenna. Since electric current must pass through the coil to create EMI, it is a good idea to add a second layer of insulation by placing a small piece of cardboard between the coil and the antenna. Take electrical tape and secure the spool to a piece of cardboard.

      Solder the power supply. Locate the battery connectors on the board and connect them to the corresponding contacts on the battery compartment. After this, you can secure the whole thing with electrical tape on a free section of cardboard.

      Connect the coil to the capacitor. You need to solder the edges of the copper wire to the electrodes of your capacitor. A switch should also be installed between the capacitor and the electromagnetic coil to control the flow of electricity between the two components.

Introduction.

In order to understand the complexity of the problems of the EMP threat and measures to protect against it, it is necessary to briefly consider the history of the study of this physical phenomenon and the current state of knowledge in this area.

The fact that a nuclear explosion would necessarily be accompanied by electromagnetic radiation was clear to theoretical physicists even before the first test of a nuclear device in 1945. During nuclear explosions in the atmosphere and outer space carried out in the late 50s and early 60s, the presence of EMR was recorded experimentally.

However, the quantitative characteristics of the pulse were measured insufficiently, firstly, because there was no control and measuring equipment capable of recording extremely powerful electromagnetic radiation that existed for an extremely short time (millionths of a second), and secondly, because in those years in radio-electronic equipment Only electric vacuum devices were used, which are little susceptible to the effects of EMR, which reduced interest in its study. The creation of semiconductor devices, and then integrated circuits, especially digital devices based on them, and the widespread introduction of means into electronic military equipment forced military specialists to evaluate the EMP threat differently.

Description of EMR physics.

The mechanism for generating EMR is as follows. During a nuclear explosion, gamma and X-ray radiation are generated and a flux of neutrons is formed. Gamma radiation, interacting with molecules of atmospheric gases, knocks out so-called Compton electrons from them. If the explosion is carried out at an altitude of 20-40 km, then these electrons are captured by the Earth's magnetic field and, rotating relative to the lines of force of this field, create currents that generate EMR. In this case, the EMR field is coherently summed towards the earth's surface, i.e. The Earth's magnetic field plays a role similar to a phased array antenna. As a result of this, the field strength and, consequently, the amplitude of the EMR sharply increases in the areas south and north of the explosion epicenter. The duration of this process from the moment of explosion is from 1 - 3 to 100 ns.

At the next stage, lasting approximately from 1 μs to 1 s, EMR is created by Compton electrons knocked out of molecules by repeatedly reflected gamma radiation and due to the inelastic collision of these electrons with the flow of neutrons emitted during the explosion. In this case, the EMR intensity turns out to be approximately three orders of magnitude lower than at the first stage.

At the final stage, which takes a period of time after the explosion from 1 s to several minutes, EMR is generated by the magnetohydrodynamic effect generated by disturbances of the Earth's magnetic field by the conductive fireball of the explosion. The intensity of EMR at this stage is very low and amounts to several tens of volts per kilometer.

The greatest danger for radio-electronic equipment is the first stage of EMR generation, at which, in accordance with the law of electromagnetic induction, due to the extremely rapid increase in the pulse amplitude (the maximum is reached 3 - 5 ns after the explosion), the induced voltage can reach tens of kilovolts per meter at the level of the earth's surface , gradually decreasing as it moves away from the epicenter of the explosion. In addition to temporary disruption of the functioning (functional suppression) of electronic devices, which allows for subsequent restoration of their functionality, EMP weapons can cause physical destruction (functional damage) of semiconductor elements of electronic devices, including those in the off state.

It should also be noted the possibility of the damaging effect of powerful EMR radiation from weapons on electrical and electrical power systems of weapons and military equipment (WME), electronic ignition systems of internal combustion engines (Fig. 1). Currents excited by an electromagnetic field in the circuits of electric or radio fuses installed on ammunition can reach levels sufficient to trigger them. High energy flows are capable of initiating the detonation of explosives (HE) warheads of missiles, bombs and artillery shells, as well as non-contact detonation of mines within a radius of 50–60 m from the point of detonation of medium-caliber EMP ammunition (100–120 mm).

Fig. 1. Forced stop of a car with an electronic ignition system.

With regard to the damaging effect of EMP weapons on personnel, as a rule, we are talking about the effects of a temporary disruption of adequate sensorimotority of a person, the occurrence of erroneous actions in his behavior and even loss of ability to work. It is important that the negative manifestations of the effects of powerful ultrashort microwave pulses are not necessarily associated with thermal destruction of living cells of biological objects. The damaging factor is often the high intensity of the electric field induced on cell membranes, comparable to the natural quasi-static intensity of the own electric field of intracellular charges. Experiments on animals have established that even at a density of pulse-modulated microwave irradiation on the surface of biological tissues of 1.5 mW/cm2 it has place a significant change in the electrical potentials of the brain. The activity of nerve cells changes under the influence of a single microwave pulse lasting from 0.1 to 100 ms, if the energy density in it reaches 100 mJ/cm2. The consequences of such an influence on humans have so far been poorly studied, but it is known that irradiation with microwave pulses sometimes gives rise to sound hallucinations, and with increased power, even loss of consciousness is possible.

The amplitude of the voltage induced by EMR in conductors is proportional to the length of the conductor located in its field and depends on its orientation relative to the electric field strength vector.

Thus, the EMR field strength in high-voltage power lines can reach 50 kV/m, which will lead to the appearance of currents of up to 12 thousand amperes in them.

EMPs are also generated during other types of nuclear explosions - air and ground. It has been theoretically established that in these cases its intensity depends on the degree of asymmetry of the spatial parameters of the explosion. Therefore, an air explosion is the least effective from the point of view of generating EMP. The EMP of a ground explosion will have a high intensity, but it quickly decreases as it moves away from the epicenter.

Since the collection of experimental data during underground nuclear tests is technically very complex and expensive, the solution to the data set is achieved by methods and means of physical modeling.

Sources of EMP (non-lethal weapons). EMP weapons can be created both in the form of stationary and mobile electronic directed radiation complexes, and in the form of electromagnetic ammunition (EMM), delivered to the target using artillery shells, mines, guided missiles (Fig. 2), aerial bombs, etc.

A stationary generator allows you to reproduce EMR with horizontal polarization of the electric field. It includes a high-voltage electrical pulse generator (4 MV), a symmetrical dipole radiating antenna on two masts and an open concrete test area. The installation ensures the formation above the test site (at heights of 3 and 10 m) of EMR with field strengths equal to 35 and 50 kV/m, respectively.

Mobile (Transportable) HPDII generator is designed to simulate horizontally polarized EMR. It includes a high-voltage pulse generator and a symmetrical dipole antenna mounted on a trailer platform, as well as data collection and processing equipment located in a separate van.

EMB is based on methods of converting the chemical energy of explosion, combustion and direct current electrical energy into the energy of a high-power electromagnetic field. The solution to the problem of creating EMP ammunition is associated, first of all, with the presence of compact radiation sources that could be located in the warhead compartments of guided missiles, as well as in artillery shells.

The most compact energy sources for EMB today are considered to be spiral explosive magnetic generators (EMG), or generators with explosive compression of the magnetic field, which have the best specific energy density in terms of mass (100 kJ/kg) and volume (10 kJ/cm3), as well as explosive magnetodynamic generators (MDG). In the VMG, with the help of an explosive, the explosion energy is converted

into magnetic field energy with an efficiency of up to 10%, and with an optimal choice of VMG parameters – even up to 20%. This type of device is capable of generating pulses with an energy of tens of megajoules and a duration of up to 100 μs. Peak radiation power can reach 10 TW. EMGs can be used autonomously or as one of the cascades for pumping microwave generators. The limited spectral band of EMG radiation (up to several megahertz) makes their influence on the RES rather selective.

Fig.2. Design (a) and principle (b) of the combat use of a standard EMB.

As a result, the problem arises of creating compact antenna systems that are consistent with the parameters of the generated EMR. In VMDG, explosives or rocket fuel are used to generate a plasma flow, the rapid movement of which in a magnetic field leads to the generation of super-powerful currents with accompanying electromagnetic radiation.

The main advantage of the VMDG is its reusability, since cartridges with explosives or rocket fuel can be placed in the generator many times. However, its specific weight and size characteristics are 50 times lower than those of the VMG, and in addition, the VMG technology has not yet been sufficiently developed to rely on these energy sources in the near future.

The main ways to develop such products can be identified:

Explosively pumped Flux Compression Generators, or FC generators- disposable devices operating on chemical explosives. The basis of the most developed coaxial EMR generator is a copper pipe filled with a homogeneous high-energy explosive. It is an armature around which a stator is installed with a gap - a sectioned low-resistance winding, which, in turn, is mounted in a durable dielectric pipe, often made of glass composite. The starting current pulse is provided by a capacitor unit or a low-power FC generator. The explosive is initiated at the moment when the starting current reaches a peak value, and the fuse is placed so that the initiation front propagates along the explosive along the armature pipe, deforming its cone.

Where the armature reaches the stator, a short circuit occurs between the poles of the stator winding. A short circuit propagating along the pipe creates the effect of compression of the magnetic field: the generator produces a pulse of increasing current, the peak value of which is reached before the final destruction of the structure. The current rise time is hundreds of microseconds with peak fault currents of tens of megaamps and peak field power of tens of MW. Back in the 1970s, the Los Alamos National Laboratory achieved a gain of 60 for the FC generator (the ratio of the output current to the starting current) of 60, which ensured the creation of a multi-stage high-power device. The problem of its arrangement in the power supply is simplified by the coaxial design.

Although FC generators themselves are a potential technological basis for generating powerful electrical pulses, their output frequency, due to the physics of the process, does not exceed 1 MHz. At such frequencies, many targets will be difficult to attack even with very high energy levels, and furthermore, focusing the energy from such devices will be problematic.

A nuclear explosion is accompanied by electromagnetic radiation in the form of a powerful short pulse that mainly affects electrical and electronic equipment.

Sources of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) occurrence. By its nature, EMR, with some assumptions, can be compared with the electromagnetic field of nearby lightning, which creates interference for radio receivers. Wavelengths range from 1 to 1000 m or more. EMR occurs mainly as a result of the interaction of gamma radiation generated during an explosion with atoms of the environment.

When gamma rays interact with atoms of the medium, the latter are imparted an energy impulse, a small fraction of which is spent on ionization of atoms, and the main part is spent on imparting translational motion to electrons and ions formed as a result of ionization. Due to the fact that much more energy is imparted to an electron than to an ion, and also due to the large difference in mass, electrons have a higher speed compared to ions. We can assume that the ions practically remain in place, and the electrons move away from them at speeds close to the speed of light in the radial direction from the center of the explosion. Thus, a separation of positive and negative charges occurs in space for some time.

Due to the fact that the air density in the atmosphere decreases with altitude, an asymmetry in the distribution of electric charge (electron flow) results in the area surrounding the explosion site. The asymmetry of the electron flow can also arise due to the asymmetry of the gamma ray flow itself due to the different thickness of the bomb shell, as well as the presence of the Earth’s magnetic field and other factors. The asymmetry of the electric charge (electron flow) at the site of the explosion in the air causes a current pulse. It emits electromagnetic energy in the same way as passing it through a radiating antenna.

The region where gamma radiation interacts with the atmosphere is called the EMR source region. The dense atmosphere near the earth's surface limits the area of ​​distribution of gamma rays (the mean free path is hundreds of meters). Therefore, in a ground explosion, the source area occupies an area of ​​only a few square kilometers and approximately coincides with the area where other damaging factors of a nuclear explosion are exposed.

During a high-altitude nuclear explosion, gamma rays can travel hundreds of kilometers before interacting with air molecules and, due to its rarefaction, penetrate deep into the atmosphere. Therefore, the size of the EMR source area is large. Thus, with a high-altitude explosion of ammunition with a power of 0.5-2 million tons, an EMP source area with a diameter of up to 1600-3000 km and a thickness of about 20 km can be formed, the lower boundary of which will pass at an altitude of 18-20 km (Fig. 1.4).

Rice. 1.4. The main options for the EMP situation: 1 - EMP situation in the source area and the formation of radiation fields from ground and air explosions; 2 - underground EMP situation at some distance from the explosion near the surface; 3 - EMP situation of a high-altitude explosion.

The large size of the source area during a high-altitude explosion generates intense EMR directed downwards over a significant part of the earth's surface. Therefore, a very large area may find itself in conditions of strong EMP influence, where other damaging factors of a nuclear explosion have practically no effect.

Thus, during high-altitude nuclear explosions, printing objects located outside the source of nuclear damage may be strongly affected by EMR.

The main parameters of EMR that determine the damaging effect are the nature of the change in the strength of the electric and magnetic fields over time - the shape of the pulse and the maximum field strength - the amplitude of the pulse.

The EMR of a ground-based nuclear explosion at a distance of up to several kilometers from the center of the explosion is a single signal with a steep leading edge and a duration of several tens of milliseconds (Fig. 1.5).

Rice. 1.5. Change in the field strength of the electromagnetic pulse: a - initial phase; b - main phase; c is the duration of the first quasi-half cycle.

EMR energy is distributed over a wide frequency range from tens of hertz to several megahertz. However, the high-frequency part of the spectrum contains a small fraction of the pulse energy; the bulk of its energy occurs at frequencies up to 30 kHz.

The amplitude of EMR in this zone can reach very large values ​​- in the air, thousands of volts per meter during the explosion of low-power ammunition and tens of thousands of volts per meter during explosions of high-power ammunition. In soil, the amplitude of EMR can reach hundreds and thousands of volts per meter, respectively.

Because the amplitude of EMP decreases rapidly with increasing distance, EMP from a ground-based nuclear explosion only affects a few kilometers from the center of the explosion; over long distances it has only a short-term negative effect on the operation of radio equipment.

For a low air explosion, the EMP parameters remain basically the same as for a ground explosion, but as the height of the explosion increases, the amplitude of the pulse at the ground surface decreases.

With a low air explosion with a power of 1 million tons, EMR with damaging field strengths spreads over an area with a radius of up to 32 km, 10 million tons - up to 115 km.

The amplitude of EMR in underground and underwater explosions is significantly less than the amplitude of EMR in explosions in the atmosphere, so its damaging effect in underground and underwater explosions is practically not manifested.

The damaging effect of EMR is caused by the occurrence of voltages and currents in conductors located in the air, ground, and on equipment of other objects.

Since the amplitude of EMR quickly decreases with increasing distance, its damaging effect is several kilometers from the center (epicenter) of a large-caliber explosion. Thus, with a ground explosion with a power of 1 Mt, the vertical component of the EMR electric field at a distance of 4 km is 3 kV/m, at a distance of 3 km - 6 kV/m, and 2 km - 13 kV/m.

EMR does not have a direct effect on humans. Receivers of EMR energy - bodies that conduct electric current: all overhead and underground communication lines, control lines, alarms (since they have an electrical strength not exceeding 2-4 kV DC voltage), power transmission, metal masts and supports, aerial and underground antennas devices, above-ground and underground turbine pipelines, metal roofs and other structures made of metal. At the moment of explosion, a pulse of electric current appears in them for a fraction of a second and a potential difference appears relative to the ground. Under the influence of these voltages, the following may occur: breakdown of cable insulation, damage to input elements of equipment connected to antennas, overhead and underground lines (breakdown of communication transformers, failure of arresters, fuses, damage to semiconductor devices, etc., as well as burnout of fuse links included in the lines to protect the equipment. High electrical potentials relative to ground arising on screens, cable cores, antenna-feeder lines and wired communication lines can pose a danger to persons servicing the equipment.

EMP poses the greatest danger to equipment that is not equipped with special protection, even if it is located in particularly strong structures that can withstand large mechanical loads from the shock wave of a nuclear explosion. EMR for such equipment is the main damaging factor.

Power lines and their equipment, designed for voltages of tens and hundreds of kW, are resistant to the effects of electromagnetic pulses.

It is also necessary to take into account the simultaneous impact of a pulse of instantaneous gamma radiation and EMR: under the influence of the first, the conductivity of materials increases, and under the influence of the second, additional electric currents are induced. In addition, their simultaneous impact on all systems located in the explosion area should be taken into account.

High electrical voltages are generated (induced) on cable and overhead lines caught in the zone of powerful pulses of electromagnetic radiation. The induced voltage can cause damage to the input circuits of the equipment at fairly remote sections of these lines.

Depending on the nature of the impact of EMR on communication lines and the equipment connected to them, the following protection methods are recommended: the use of two-wire symmetrical communication lines, well insulated from each other and from the ground; exclusion of the use of single-wire external communication lines; shielding of underground cables with copper, aluminum, lead sheathing; electromagnetic shielding of units and equipment components; use of various types of protective input devices and lightning protection equipment.